At its annual Global Technology Summit (#GTS25)in Santa Clara, Niels Anderskouv, President and Chief Opernating Officer at GlobalFoundries, identified three forces reshaping the semiconductor landscape: the rise of AI and autonomy, the urgency of power efficiency, and the performance bottleneck of data connectivity.
“Anything that moves will become autonomous,” said Anderskouv, pointing to physical AI systems that rely on compute, sensing, and real-time controls. Power efficiency, he noted, is the greatest challenge facing both hyperscale data centers and autonomous systems. Connectivity — within servers, racks, and across networks — is increasingly performance-limiting, with photonics and advanced wireless positioned as key solutions.
GlobalFoundries is focusing on three strategic pillars:
- Differentiated essential technologies spanning power, wireless, photonics, and AI.
- Deep collaboration with customers and ecosystems.
- Geographically diverse operations across the U.S., Germany, and non-China, non-Taiwan Asia.
Key Highlights
- FD-SOI Leadership: Up to 50% lower power and 70% higher performance for AI and wireless applications.
- Photonics: 40x faster data transmission, moving from early adoption to mainstream data center deployments.
- Advanced Packaging & Substrates: Major investments in the U.S. and Singapore.
- AI & Autonomy IP: New RISC-V cores and purpose-built embedded platforms for autonomous vehicles and physical AI.
- Ecosystem Reach: 5,500+ IP titles, 630+ partners, and the world’s largest deployed base of automotive semiconductor platforms.
- Manufacturing Resilience: Multi-site qualification across all major process nodes and progress toward zero-emissions operations.
🌐 Analysis
GlobalFoundries is sharpening its identity around essential technologies that sit at the intersection of AI, power, and connectivity. Its differentiator is not in chasing the most advanced CPU/GPU nodes, but in developing platforms that address bottlenecks where the industry needs immediate solutions.
Silicon photonics stands out as GF’s most strategic lever. With demand for AI training and inference pushing interconnect bandwidth beyond copper’s limits, GF’s photonics platforms are well positioned to become foundational in data center deployments. By coupling photonics with FD-SOI’s ultra-low-power credentials, GaN for power efficiency, and advanced packaging, GF is creating an integrated toolkit that aligns directly with hyperscaler and systems vendor needs.
Equally important is GF’s geographic diversification. As geopolitical and supply chain risks grow, GF’s footprint in the U.S., Germany, and Asia (outside Taiwan) offers customers a path to resilience — another differentiator as hyperscalers and governments demand secure, distributed manufacturing.
The message from Anderskouv: GlobalFoundries’ value lies in enabling the AI era through differentiated essential technologies — with silicon photonics emerging as a critical enabler.
🌐 We’re tracking: semiconductors | AI infrastructure | data centers
